(Northland's NewsCenter)---Small change has amounted to a big difference.

Lake Country Power celebrates a $1 Million milestone with its Operation Round Up Program.

Since 2004, the company has been giving to community based projects and programs throughout northeastern Minnesota.

Tasia Hoag is the coordinator for Care Partners, a small charity that aims to provide financial assistance to Iron Range families facing cancer.

About five more families will receive assistance thanks to a $2,000 grant from Lake Country Power.

"A lot of people use it for travel," Hoag said. "If you live in Ely and you have to go to Duluth five days a week for seven weeks, you can imagine with the cost of fuel these days, it becomes quite expensive."

On average, Lake Country Power distributes $42,000 to 30 organizations every three months.

"There's like 40,000 people on the Lake Country Power grid, and 65 percent of those round up."

Participants in the program round up their electric bill to the nearest dollar.

At most, a co–op member would contribute $12 per year.

"It really makes no difference on your bill, you don't even notice it," Susan Estee, Executive Director of Second Harvest North Central Food Bank in Grand Rapids said. "But when all those cents are added together, it makes a big impact."

The food bank received a $4,000 grant for its Itasca Holiday Program which provides holiday gift and food boxes for individuals in the region experiencing financial hardship.

The average co–op member donates nearly $6 dollars to Operation Round Up each year.

EVELETH — National Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October also means making people more informed on a local level as well.

Care Partners is one of the main organizations on the Range to do just that. The group received a $75,000 grant from the Susan G. Komen affiliate in Minnesota this year for helping people with breast cancer — women and men — with some financial help while they may be receiving treatment or off from work coping with illness. The Komen organization helps fight breast cancer nationally and statewide.

Since they received the Komen grant in April, they have enrolled 54 women under those funding guidelines.

And, Care Partners just received a big boost from the local Sand Lake Shuffle held in August — $61,000 was raised from donations, the largest single fund-raising amount ever, to be used for people with cancer locally.

United Way has been also been supporting the organization for years. They could not have applied for the Susan G. Komen grant without support from their backers, she added.

Income is not a factor in deciding whether a person with cancer should receive financial help.

“If they have cancer and live on the Iron Range, they qualify,” Hoag said.

Cancer treatment ”can be very, very expensive,” she said, and costs in going back and forth, perhaps supporting a family, can all add up.

Care Partners helps with food and some household expenses, but mostly, they direct-pay for gasoline for a vendor for the frequent trips to Duluth and back, and elsewhere, for treatment.

Financial assistance from Care Partners also is immediate, “so they can focus on getting better,” Hoag said.

Applicant are eligible for up to $1,200 during an enrollment year. Once that time ends, the person is a new applicant, and can re-enroll if needed. The first $400 grant will be awarded, and if a person needs additional assistance, they can be eligible for two additional $400 grants, which can be voted on by the Care Partners board within 2 days.

Cancer can strike anyone. One minute a person is doing well, and the next minute, “your whole world is turned upside down,” she said.

For October, “we urge all women to get that mammogram done,” and if something is not right, they should consult their doctor, Hoag explained. “Every month is breast cancer awareness month,” and for other cancers, she added.

For help locally, Hoag can be reached at 404-1411. Information is available online at the Susan G. Komen for the Cure website, www.komenminnesota.org.

“Talk about a random act of kindness,” said Care Partners, Inc. Coordinator Tasia Hoag about the donation from Laura Hackala, Melanie Stickney and Sue Smolich. “It really means a lot to us.”

The ladies donated $500 of their $1,000 winnings by taking second place at the Fortune Bay Resort Casino Halloween Costume Contest.

The ladies dressed up as breasts and a Breast Cancer ribbon to show their support for Breast Cancer. Once the ladies knew what they were going to be, they decided to donate any winnings to Care Partners, Inc., which is a local organization committed to helping individuals and families facing cancer and other life-limiting illnesses.

Stickney then offered a challenge to Fortune Bay Resort Casino on Facebook to donate $1 for every like of their Halloween Costume, which was a huge hit at the party. Fortune Bay Management agreed to sponsor the first 500 likes that the ladies received on Facebook.

“We were more than willing to help them out,” said Fortune Bay Resort Casino General Manager Norm Adams of the additional $500 donation. “We commend them for their creativity and for their willingness to help out such an important agency.”

Smolich said it was important to her and her friends to make a donation to Care Partners, Inc. rather than simply donate it to a national organization.

“That’s why we wanted to make the donation to them, because they help out people on the Iron Range,” she said.

“I just hope others see this and pay it forward as well,” she said. “No one ever quite knows when or if one will need help by these great organizations, but by supporting them, they will always be available and that is all we can ask for.”

Hoag said the ladies’ decision to make a donation to Care Partners, Inc. could really do a lot to help out their agency.

“This was such a nice surprise,” she said. “It would have been a lot easier for them to just keep the money, but we are obviously touched by their generosity.”

Deb Davey was 50 years old when she was diagnosed with Stage II breast cancer in February of 2002. Chemotherapy treatments caused Deb's gums to recede and teeth to loosen. Because Deb had partial dentures covered by insurance just prior to her diagnosis of cancer, her insurance company denied coverage of the full dentures she needed after receiving chemotherapy.

But Deb found the help she needed when she call Care Partners, explained her situation, and had her dental work and new dentures paid for. Deb, who has three children and seven grandchildren, is now a cancer survivor.

She credits Care Partners for helping her get her "smile" back and thanks Care Partners for helping with the services not covered by insurance, helping to put a wide smile back on her face.

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Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for kindness.

— Seneca

A non-profit organization committed to helping individuals and families facing cancer or a life-limiting illness.